Enkai. Even his name suited him, for it sounded so pretty and different... For a time, Misora's breath caught and stayed there, waiting to be loosed. His hand was on her shoulder, a quick reaction to him going to fix his boot. Nothing she could fault him for. Although, she sat there awkwardly, her legs holding her weight begging to give out.

"En—" But the first time she would say his name would not be a moment that showed her genteel nature.

His weight pushed onto her shoulder made her legs wobble, and there was nowhere else to go but down. She sat on the crate proper, and it did not give her a chance before it collapsed sideways. A loud, terrified gasp left her. Misora could feel the air take her, and suddenly, she was on her side. Luckily her head had not hit the wall, but other parts of her began to groan at the sudden fall.

"ENKAI." It was easy for her to resort to frustration. Misora said his name through gritted teeth, as if he had planned to prank her this way.

She pushed herself up to sit upright, face scrunched in places to give her a scowl. It was embarrassing! Misora tried not to look around, except to glare up at the man that had secured her downfall.
 
The smile was starting to come easy, just as a creak could be heard before Misora came crashing down. Enkai's hand on her shoulder was left in midair, his smile now looking more like a sneer. He looked down his nose at her, her on her side. There was tiny debris strewn about, the breaking crate giving out more on the side that he had used to balance himself on her shoulder. It had all happened in slow motion, so slowly in fact, that Enkai stood still, realizing too late he should be doing anything but that.

"Shit," he cursed, raising his hands in the air as if he hadn't touched her, that really, he was innocent and it wasn't his fault. Was he really that heavy? Enkai stared at his hand, the culprit, and then finally realized, wait, she was still on the ground. When he looked back at Misora, she was scowling at him like he had done so on purpose. The look she had in her eyes reminded him of a look his mother gave him now and then. He swallowed, bending at his knees and extending his hand towards her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know..." The words sounded strange, of course, he didn't know that would happen! She knew that, didn't she? He leaned forward just a bit more. "Here, I'll help you up. You're not hurt, are you?"
 
Without a doubt, Misora could be stubborn. Entirely believing that Enkai was rude and rotten, and yet when he offered to help her up, Misora allowed him to. Not because she was a Princess Intendant, but she was not going to decline help from someone... so...

"Pretty..." The thought had left her mind and fell on her lips. Misora cleared her throat. "Pretty much feeling as if... I... uh. I am alright."

Her legs hurt from holding her weight, and her side and arm were hurting from the fall. There would not be a bruise, but Misora was not counting her injuries when her mind was blaring loudly in mortification.

Oh saints and spirits. Did he notice? Notice that she was an absolute dumpling head for being so awkward!

Misora pushed herself up, clumsily, but averted her gaze from him. She cleared her throat again and nodded down to his foot. "Well? How does that feel for you? A little better to move?"
 
Impassive, Enkai pulled his hand back, letting it rest on his hip now that it had nothing to do. His other hand pushed hair off his forehead, leaning back on one foot to give her the space to stand up. He knew that he would have done the same if he felt embarrassed. He never liked asking for help, even if he hadn't made himself look stupid. Another step back, and Enkai could feel the sun on his back.

"It feels good. Thank you." Enkai tilted his head to the side, looking at her closely. "You sure you aren't hurt?" He was eyeing the side she fell on, looking closely at her hip and then her knee. His dark eyes went up to her shoulder. "You're leaning your weight over on the other side." He was quick to take a step to the other side, as if he could see through her clothing what it was. He was favoring his ankle still, even after she had tied the silk around it. Surely, the same could be said for her?

"Do I need to take you home?"
 
"I said I am fine!" She laughed, loudly and unconvincingly, as she dusted off her sleeve. "Truly!"

She could take whatever aches came her way. Misora was used to it, smiling through the pain of the sticks smacking onto her feet whenever she challenged herself to dance faster.

Misora put both hands on his shoulders and made Enkai turn around, facing the way he had been adamant on following.

"Now that we are both fine, we can continue... wait," Misora curled her hands into his arms to stop him from walking forward. Her face scrunched, trying to recall why he had been marching this way. "Where were you going?" And why did she follow him, other than to insist he was alright or accepted her deep apologies?

She should turn back the other way, where the short cut home would ensure she could sneak back into the Gold District instead of being subjected at the gate. That would surely be reported to her mother, and the next time she wanted to leave the house, she surely would be escorted by a maid.
 
Enkai raised a lofty brow, eyes wide with disbelief. She was a terrible liar, something that reminded him of his little sister. Even the way they laughed, too shrill, was eerily similar. Perhaps this was something most women did, though Enkai couldn't ever picture a time his mother had done this. He opened his mouth, ready to insist that she was not fine and that her words were not valid, but she was suddenly quicker than he had thought.

Her small hands on his shoulders, broad but still too skinny for Enkai's liking, pushing him to face forward. That's right, his mission. His embarrassment warmed the shell of his ears because this pushy woman and his ankle had distracted him so easily. At least his ankle no longer bothered him, the pain a dull throb that he could easily ignore.

"Misora," Enkai sighed, side-stepping to the right like a ghost floating along the ground instead of a young man with a sprained ankle. He gave her a look, a serious look, embodying the look his mother had given him when he joked around too much. "I'm on a special mission. There's a raakgui on the loose. It could be dangerous." He pulled the wire birdcage off his back, holding it up so Misora could see the broken door that swung open, its one creaky hinge still holding onto the cage.

"It's best if you don't follow me. You could get hurt. Well," he blanched, cleared his throat, "more hurt than you already are now." Enkai wondered if Misora believed him or if she was already thinking that he was a bad liar. People off in the distance shouted in surprise.

"Look, it's a flying cat!"
 
The frown was instantaneous. Misora was sure her sores and aches were slowly turning numb and unreadable now, and Enkai's distrust was the only hurt she was feeling now.

"I am more crafty than I look, Enkai." Her face took on a grumpy expression, and on Misora, it only made her look endearing rather than tough.

Her eyes bore down on him until a few bodies rushed passed them to marvel at whatever it was. Her gaze flicked away, looking to what it was that suddenly had the market enraptured. From their distance, she could not make out what she was staring at. Unfamiliar with what raakgui would look like other than those depicted in art, Misora's brows furrowed deeply as her eyes narrowed to try and discern what it was.

"Is that... a fluffy cloud? No... what is it?"

She lifted her hand, using the whole hand to gesture in the direction she was looking at.
 
An exasperated sigh and a roll of dark eyes was his answer to her calling herself crafty. He would have told her that crafty didn't matter, that with spirits both good and bad, mortals always fell short in a game of wits. Unless it were the sort of mindless raakgui that were simple and harmless, without shamans, Enkai was sure that the raakgui would be worse than they were now. In his eyes, the raakgui were already top of the food chain.

Besides, didn't he tell her it would be dangerous? Shouldn't that have scared her off? His confusion only grew with her next series of words, even as she lifted a hand to gesture to a place behind him.

Enkai spun on his good foot, careful not to have the cage hit Misora as he did so. Squinting, he could most definitely see the raakgui floating along a relatively strong draft of wind above a crowd of wide-eyed onlookers.

"Shit, that's the raakgui I was telling you about." He pulled the cage back onto his back, worry creasing his brow. It was a shame that the spirit looked like a fanciful, exotic pet instead of some evil creature on the hunt for children to kidnap. Even worse was the fact that others could see it as well, people who were most definitely not trained to view spirits. His mother's warning echoed like the echo of a drum resonating between his ears.

The raakgui floated up and landed on the roof of a radish merchant. The crowd followed, their voices of wonder growing louder. The merchant began shouting about how his radishes were symbols of good luck, using the strange spirit as an opportunity to increase his sales.

"I'm in so much trouble," Enkai mumbled, starting to move towards the spirit that was supposed to be too stunted to fly. His mother would surely be hearing about this. He looked around, wondering if there was another shaman in the area that might intervene. So far, he could feel no spirit art being used, but skilled shamans always seemed to hide their power. "I don't have much time." He moved his fingers quickly, hands working together until a small blue squid appeared on his shoulder
 
"Language." She hissed, almost out of habit. It was not seem as proper to use such curses, and where she could understand the use of it, Misora did not feel as if it were needed.

"That is raakgui?" She got a better look at it when it rolled through the air, wings fluttering like the winged otterbears found in the rivers as if this raakgui was following the current. Misora gave Enkai a look of doubt, but his expression was real. Her face turned slightly concerned. Her eyes then watched his hands move, until from seemingly nowhere, some blue thing appeared at his shoulder. Misora sucked in a breath and held it, eyes widening in alarm.

"Can... can I help?" She was no shaman, but she learned to play with knives. Her uncles thought it was best she knew how to take care of herself should she run into trouble outside the Golden District. Of course, her mother expected her to be chaperoned by guards, but Misora wanted to get by without her heiress status to be on display.

She did not like it when people put on a facade to speak to her. Misora felt it was disingenuous, and separated her from others.

Her eyes went back to the raakgui, watching it soar upwards. "I know a short cut to the higher street where it is headed." And without any delay, Misora set off on light feet.
 
Even with a raakgui's help, trying to pass the crowd would be troublesome. Enkai knew he could climb onto the buildings, finding holdings that many were blind to, and thus begin the chase on top of rooftops. It would have been the smart thing to do, seeing that he needed a map to navigate the capital city. The winding streets, like sinuous snakes, were more of a hassle than the growing crowd.

Dark eyes went to Misora, curious with her expression and her offer. Sure, this raakgui wasn't as frightening as some of the ones that Enkai had seen. Definitely not as bad as some retired shamans made it out to be in their hobby involving paintbrushes. Still, he had to give it to her for not backing away. He couldn't quite say he would be willing to help someone out the way she was. The corners of his mouth curved up as she ran off, not looking back to see if he would follow.

Of course, he did follow after her, catching up quickly enough but not fast enough as he would have been without an injured ankle. Regardless, when he made it to her side, he did his best to keep pace with her. Couldn't be putting his title to shame, after all. The squid on his shoulder held on, the wind doing nothing to push it off Enkai's shoulder.

"You sure this is the right way?" Enkai asked, voice thick with skepticism. He glanced back to where they were. "It looks like we're going the wrong way." He almost sounded like he was complaining because the path taken was uphill, although far less crowded.

"Inky trust girl?" The squid spoke in a soft voice, muffled as if it were talking underwater. "Inky like?" The squid rested a tentacle on Enkai's neck, checking his pulse.

"Trust, yes," Enkai said. "Like? Sure, when she's not knocking me over or telling me to watch my language." The squid inflated itself, pleased with the truthfulness of the answers to its questions. It raised two tentacles in the air. "I just need to get close enough to use one of Watasena's tentacles. Anything she grabs will be stuck." Enkai explained, wondering if she would nod her head along with something that sounded strange, even for a shaman.
 
There were plenty of reasons as to why Misora Nuyen would make a terrible shaman.
First and foremost, she possessed a one track mindset. If she had a goal to work towards, she put all her effort and time onto it. She missed what he was saying, or that the squid he had attached to his shoulder could indeed speak. Another reason she would be the worst shaman was her need to be liked.
Every time she cut someone off in her task to show Enkai a way to cut across the market, she would stop and bow with her hurried apologies. It had been taught to her to be respectful, to be genteel and peaceful, and not at all to run across a very public area.

"Oh saints and spirits." She mumbled. She had just cut off bearers carrying a palanquin, and they had paused so suddenly that the wealthy traveler inside slid the window open.

"What is it?" They hissed, and Misora's eyes widened with recognition. She had grown up hearing that voice, shrill and poised, and belonging to a close friend of her mother's. She could not be caught out here in the market, much less unchaperoned and in the company of a young shaman.

"This way!" Her hand snatched at Enkai's arm and pulled him forward, continuing their dash. After a few corners were turned, and darting between market stalls with the yells of stall owners chasing them out, Misora pulled Enkai out to a set of stairs that took them where they needed to be.

She let go of his arm, began to slowly ascend the stairs as she tried to hide her heavy breathing. Misora could keep up with a dance, but running took it right out of her.

"Can you... see it?" She huffed, beckoning him to follow her up the stairs.
 
Back in the crowds, Enkai was quick to dodge. No longer hobbling about and focused on his guide, he moved through the cityfolk like in a bamboo forest. If only his guide would stop the constant apologies. He would have grabbed her by her shoulder, pulled her away from faces that meant little to him, but he knew better, even if it slowed them down more than he would have liked. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her again, grabbing the slight shoulder she had fallen on and adding a new pair of bruises to it.

Misora had no problem jerking him around, though, grabbing his arm to pull him from a palaquin with two pairs of men that glared at them both for trespassing in their way. One man, half elf and half human, "ehem" in his throat more than once as a substitute for swearing at the two of them. They were soon left behind, Enkai paying them no heed as his dark eyes settled on more stairs.

"This is starting to remind me a lot of my early training," He muttered, this time not to himself but Watasena. He started walking up the steps, at first keeping pace with Misora, then easily taking the lead. He looked back at her only once, frowning as if he felt bad for the predicament she was in. When they finally crested over the last step that led to a large platform with benches and minor shrines, Enkai was quick to rush to the edge.

Down below, he could see the many streets and where the alleys started and ended. He caught sight of the radish vendor's roof, the bright green his marker. Tracing back to where the radish stall had been and using the general direction the raakgui was heading, he found the crowd still chasing the fluffy spirit. One large blue ogre was holding it up over his head, his lonesome eye looking between the people who shouted at him over who saw it first or how much they would pay him for it.

"It likes me, it's mine." He said, his deep voice silencing everyone for a moment. His large wooden club on his back, matched with his thunderous voice, would be enough to make even Enkai second-guess upsetting him further. The raakgui meowed like a cat, and when the ogre looked up at it, he smiled with all ten of his sharp, pointy teeth. "I don't scare you?" He said to the raakgui who only meowed again.

"Watasena," Enkai saw the ogre's blue fingers lessen their hold on the raakgui. "You think you can grab it from here?" The squid squinted its eyes.

"I can't see it." The squid spirit said. "I don't have my glasses with me."

"Just try. Follow my finger. Aim that way. Go as far as you can until you reach something fluffy."

"Yes!" Watasena inflated itself, curling up one tentacle. Enkai steadied his breath, looking down at the blue ogre who placed the raakgui on the top of his bald head, bending his neck so it wouldn't get hurt on his large white horn. Enkai raised his arm, shutting one eye, aiming his pointer finger just right. Enkai held his breath as if any movement would set him off his mark.

"Now." Watasena's blue tentacle shot out, the body deflating as the arm stretched farther and farther down below them. It wrapped around the blue ogre's wrist and pulled him up like he was a young sardine that weighed nothing more than a feather.
 
"What in the..." her words died off as her eyes watched the squid spirit launch.

Her eyes lifted, seeing the path it was taking. Misora was awestruck, too amazed to do or say anything else as she watched the squid open up and ensnare the raakgui they had been chasing.

"Did you see that?!" She gasped, whacking Enkai's arm with exuberance and enthusiasm. "That was a perfect shot!"

Grinning, she turned to Enkai to share in the amazing feat she had witnessed before turning her gaze back to where the blue ogre had cried out in shock as the raakgui was no longer in his hold. Many others also yelped and yelled, but in their confusion and cowering, they did not see the squid spirit hit it's target.

"Were you talking to your squid before? You can talk to them?" Misora asked, turning her face towards him again but her eyes watching the crowd.
 
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